Caribbean regional carrier InterCaribbean Airways canceled its planned operations to St. Thomas and St. Croix, but left open the possibility of opening the routes next winter. The carrier had announced in December that it would launch the new flights from Tortola, British Virgin Islands, to the USVI in February. That date came and went as the airline worked to complete the USVI filings process, according to its statement.

The Turks and Caicos-based carrier described the process as lengthy and arduous and said that "it was not possible to manage in tandem with the setting up of all other operations."

InterCaribbean had deployed an aircraft to Tortola in March, "but given the unusually lengthy processes to get to a starting point, it has become clear that the approval process and our priorities are not aligned." The aircraft now will be deployed elsewhere.

"We operate in 13 countries and have not faced the prolonged or protracted challenges of setting up a timely operation in any country," said the carrier. The carrier also noted handling costs within the USVI "that are three to four times the norm across our entire network. We cannot expect to have to double our affordable airfares to compensate. It goes against our business model and we will not see support from the traveling public."

Meanwhile, LIAT will return to St. Thomas when it resumes service from Antigua on July 2 with three weekly flights.